Eraser attachment for type-writing machines.



L. A. CARTER & W. J. HALDAN.

ERASER ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31'. 1910.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

i STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS ,A. outrun, or omann, Ann wrnnrm .1. BALDA'N, or-nnnknr-nr.

'curromr'xfhs'srononsor' ONE-THIRD ro GEORGE E. ALLEN, or MILL a farracnmnnr roa mn-wm'rme moraines. l

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 11, 1911, i

mama filed May 31, 1910. Serial No. 564,055.,

6 county, California, both citizens of the United States, have. inventednew and useful Improvements in Eraser Attachments for Type-WritingMachines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

, This invention relates toattachments for typewriters andmorelparticularly to means connected thereto for making erasures Anobject of our invention is to devise and provide a simple, inexpensive,convenient and eflicientattachment to typewriters whereby the operatoris permitted to make erasures without loss of time by sodisposing theeraser that it is at all times within easy and quick access, and toprovide a means whereby any portion of the platen desired may beoperated'upon; and means are combined to automatically retract theeraser to its position of rest.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, m which i re 1 1s a perspectivev1ew illustrating the evice. Fig. 2 1s a detail section. Fig. 3 is arear view of the reel casing. Fig. 4 1s a view showing the pawl and itsspring.

It is commonly the practice of stenographers and typewriter o erators tohave on a desk a loose eraser, an occasionally it is tied by a string tothe machine. In either event, it is necessary to reach for and locatethe eraser, and it is sometimes not to be the eraser in a given place,and also that it should be so mounted that it will automatically returnto'its normal, idle position.

To accomplish this, we have shown the eraser A as connected by aresilient hook 2 to a cord, chain, or equivalent flexible member 3. Thecord 3 passes into a casing 4 which-is substantially watch-shaped, andis secured by means of an adjustable bracket 5 to the frame B of thetypewriter.- The 1s bracket '5 -is slotted at 6 in one arm, and

adjustably held by a screw 7 preferably adjacent tothe front of themachine, so that the eraser may easily be carried to the platen C.

To permit angular adjustment of the cas ing 4, it is mounted on bracket5 by a pivot 8, and the bracket has a curved slot 9 in which is movablea clamp screw 10 in casing 4, which thus ma be rocked angularly on itsspindle 8 and ocked by screw 10, to'assume a position convenient to theoperator.

For the purpose of maintaining the eraser A in its normal, idle positionadjacent to the front of the machine and at the same time cause it toautomatically return there after use, the cord or chain 3 is secured toa reel' 11 turnable on spindle 8 in the'casing 4, and which is normallyunder a winding tension of a suitable spring 12 connected at one end tothe reel and at the other to the casing 4. When the eraser is lpulledfrom its seat on the casing 4 and the curd unwound from the reel 11, thetension of spring 12 is proportionately increased and tends to pull backthe eraser as soon as it is released. It is desirable that at the timethe operator is using the eraser the tension will be removedfrom chain 3so that the eraser may be used without restraint, and, therefore, weprovide on one side of the reel 11 a ratchet wheel 13 engageable by asuitable pawl 14 pivoted at 15 on the casing 4. The awl 14 is pressedagainst the ratchet 13 y a small s ring 16, thus holding the reelagainst return y main spring 12, until the pawl is lifted by a littleknob 17 projecting without the front of case 4. By this structure theoperator at all times may be sure of locating stem 17' against the wallof the casing 4, so

that the pawl is inoperative. This permits the main spring 12 toconstantly pull on the eraser when in use and instantly retract it whenthe operator is through erasing. A small, soft collar or ring 18 isinterposed on chain 3 between hook 2 and the casing 4, whereby the partsare rotected from in ury by violent impact as t e spring returns the,eraser, and it also deadens the noise. The hook 2 is formed of resilientwire and has two separate arms which may be spread apart at their ends,so that the erasers-may be easily and quickly renewed as they wear.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a typewriter and one of itsscrews, of a casing, a slotted bracket thereon adapted to be clamped bythe screw, means whereby the casing is angularly adjustable onthebracket, and an eraser flexibly connected to the casing.

2. The combination with a t lpewriter, of a winding drum, an eraserflexi y connected thereto, a slotted bracket upon which the drum isadjustable, and means-whereb the bracket is detachably secured to therame of the typewriter.

3; An erasing attachment for typewriters comprisingan eraser, a casingadapted to be secured to the machine, an automatic reel in said casing,flexible connections between said reel and said eraser, and means forauto- Y connections when the eraser is in matically rel-iving'thetension-of the con {motions when the eraser is in operative posixon.

4. An erasing attachment for typewriters comprlsing an adjustablebracket secured to the machine, a casing on said bracket, a winding reelinthe casing, an eraser, means whereby said eraser is flexibly anddetachably secured to said reel, and means for automatically relievingthe tension of the operative pos1t1on.

5. erasing attachment for typewriting machines comprising a casing, abracket adapted to be secured to the machine and upon which the casingis angularly adjustable, an eraser, means within the casing forautomatically maintaining the eraser in juxtaposition to the casing, andconnections between the eraser and said means.

. In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS A. CARTER. WILLIAM J. HALDAN. Witnesses L. A. ALLYN, B. F. MILLER.

